


Ink

by TheOddCatLady95



Category: RWBY
Genre: Alternate Universe - Tattoo Parlor, Commission work, F/M, Falling In Love, Friendship, Gauntlets and Greaves, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, Piercings, Romance, Rosewick - Freeform, Tattoos
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-13
Updated: 2016-09-07
Packaged: 2018-06-08 04:45:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 9,012
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6839551
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheOddCatLady95/pseuds/TheOddCatLady95
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's always been great, working at Wicked. Until the competition showed up. </p><p>Tattoo Parlor AU.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. New Neighbors

“Keep that bandage on a few hours, but hey, when you post pics on Facebook, tag me!”

 

Another happy customer, granted, with a stupid taste in tattoos- but hey, at least he got quality work.

 

The bell dinged as the customer exited, and then Emerald snorted, looking up from the girl whose ears she was piercing. “Did he really think that Chinese character meant 'Peace'?”

 

“Yup!”

 

“Did you think to tell him it meant _Rice_?”

 

“Nope!”

 

Emerald snorted and pulled away from her customer. “If you get tattoos in another language, don't get it from him. He _will_ let you make a mistake.”

 

The poor girl just nodded.

 

“Kay, you're good. Just keep the piercings clean, and be careful they don't fall out. Have a good day.”

 

After the girl scuttled out, Emerald glanced at a picture of several different types of piercings hanging off the wall. “So, should I get a septum piercing or not?”

 

Mercury snorted and flopped down in the seat recently occupied by the foolish customer. “For the last time, I don't _care_. You already have like twenty holes in your body.”

 

Emerald glared and seemed to contemplated throwing the chair at him, but decided it wasn't worth it.

 

To be fair though- Emerald already had quite a few piercings. There was like a dozen holes in her ears _alone_. Plus two eyebrow piercings, that really cute belly button piercing, and now she wanted one in her nose. She had shortened her options to the septum or just the traditional nostril piercing.

 

Having a job at a tattoo and piercings parlor _really_ let you go wild.

 

Mercury couldn't complain though- working at ' _Wicked_ ' was basically a dream come true. His manager was, along with being a total babe, a total badass. She'd run Junior's parlor out of work, and she kept in a pretty steady business.

 

Emerald was the piercing queen, she'd done Mercury's left eyebrow when they first met. In return he tattooed a quote from some old book below her right collarbone: 'A man dies through a slip of his tongue, and not through a slip of the foot, a slip of the tongue costs him his head, while the other can be cured at leisure.'

 

Yeah. Lil bit pretentious, but Mercury felt it was a job well done.

 

Then there was Roman, who was currently snoring loudly at the front desk. Clearly someone had one too many drinks the night before. The redhead was talented though- mostly just traditional style, but their manager was encouraging him to branch out into lettering like Mercury had.

 

Neo was out making a lunch run, their resident New School expert who Mercury had gladly tattooed a gray wash skull on her left hand. She didn't speak, Mercury had found out through Roman she couldn't, but she was a pretty good teacher for sign language. Mercury had picked up a phrase or three.

 

Then there was their manager. She was in the backroom working with someone, Mercury was pretty damn sure the tattoo involved shirt removal and they didn't want everyone to see their 'tatas'. Speaking of which, they were out now.

 

“Come back next month and I think we'll be able to finish.”

 

Cinder's customer hurried out, looking extremely pleased. Cinder stepped out, heels clicking on the ground. The woman was positively _covered_ in ink, work that would've taken hundreds and even thousands of dollars to complete. Mercury's favorite of hers at the moment was the one he did- the black heels on her back that shaped a heart. Cinder had trusted him to put ink on her, and at the time, it was terrifying- but considering most of her shirts rode low enough in the back to see it, it always made Mercury's heart swell with pride.

 

Once she was out, Cinder cracked her knuckles and picked up a water bottle. “Anyone come in?”

 

“Just some hipster. Gave him what he wanted and sent him on his way.” Boy, that idiot would regret that someday.

 

Cinder nodded and glanced at the clock. “It's almost noon. Roman?”

 

Roman awoke with a snort, yawning before glancing at the clock. “… Fuck me,” he grumbled, stood up and cracked his back. “Didn't hear the phone go off all morning though so we're good.”

 

“It went off once. I had to answer it because Roman was snoring.” Emerald ignored the glare and the grumbled 'tattletale' from Roman. “It's another piercing appointment for a party of four, apparently it's Neon's twentieth birthday next week and she wants her entire group to get pierced up before they hit the club.” Ah, Neon, one of their most consistent customers. Neon and Flynt had enough ink to start their own parlor.

 

Cinder seemed slightly put out. “Only one call? It's a slow day.”

 

The bell dinged as Neo walked in with several bags of Chinese take out. She set them all on the front table and took a deep breath before flopping down with a container of sweet and sour chicken.

 

Clearly food now, talking later. Mercury dug through the bag. “Okay, this smells like shrimp, think its lo mein.”

 

“Mine.” Emerald snatched it and the chopsticks.

 

“Beef and Broccoli.”

 

Roman didn't even speak, he just took it out of Mercury's hands and pulled a plastic fork out of the bag.

 

“Vegetable fried rice.”

 

Cinder just held out her hand, and Mercury handed her the container. That left him with the container of Beef Fried Rice- delicious. All of them took seats around the parlor, Mercury and Neo sitting closest to the window.

 

Roman pulled out his phone and started playing Candy Crush. “So Cinder, what's with this customer? How long have you been tattooing them?”

 

The woman tapped her chopsticks against her chin. “A while now. We're almost done though, I think she'll be interested in something more traditional next though. I'll point her towards you.”

 

Roman grinned toothily before scrambling in the bag for egg rolls. “Who's helping Emerald with the piercing party?”

 

Mercury shot up a hand. “I can. I'll try to convince them to come back for a tattoo later, too.” The tattoos people chose drunk. It was _priceless_.

 

Neo giggled silently before glancing out the window… and then she frowned. Roman noticed it first. “What's up, Neo?”

 

She pointed and everyone looked up… before Cinder set down her take out and walked to the front. Mercury joined her shortly.

 

“… Who are _they_?”

 

It was a girl in white and a taller one in black, on the sidewalk next to a truck. Both of them were currently talking, the white girl much more animated, but what was more interesting was the fact they had a second hand tattoo chair between them.

 

Emerald spoke up first. “Isn't that Junior's old shop? I thought it was bought out by a record store.”

 

“I heard the deal went south real fast. Only hipsters want records,” Roman said. Neo glanced up and signed something too fast for Mercury to catch, but Roman glared and responded by ruffled her hair.

 

The girl in white seemed annoyed now, throwing her ponytail over her other shoulder- aha. A tattoo. On her neck. Mercury couldn't make out what it was though. The girl in black had a lower arm sleeve tattoo as well, looked like black work but again- distance was a bitch.

 

Then someone else hopped out of the truck.

 

Long blonde hair, jean shorts and a yellow tanktop. She seemed to calm the argument between the other two girls before she teamed up with the girl in black and they hoisted the chair into the store. The girl in white seemed pleased with whatever decision they had made and followed them in.

 

Mercury broke the silence.

 

“I think we just got some competition.”

 

Cinder sighed before smiling. “Doesn't matter. Did you see those girls?” She glanced around. “They don't look like the experienced type. They'll figure out soon enough they won't have enough business to stay here.”

 

Right. Who would go to a bunch of amateurs? Everyone snickered and Emerald threw in the next jab. “I give them a month before they're moving that chair right back to the sidewalk.”

 

Roman grinned roguishly. “I'll take that, I'll give them… three weeks. They'll have a fight or something, then it's bye-bye business.”

 

“Month and a half- they'll cave before the two months mark for sure though.” Mercury was definitely laying money on this.

 

The girl in yellow came back out, and Mercury immediately wanted to get closer to her. She had _ink_ , on both arms. Looked Asian style, dragons to be exact. Wasn't amateur work at all, this was nice. _Wonder how she afforded_ _ **that**_.

 

But it wasn't a big deal. Everyone went back to lunch and ignored the 'competition' across the street… and the little girl with the red hood passing on by.

 

~*~

 

“See, I told you two we'd know where to put it once it was inside!”

 

Yang brushed off her hands before setting them on her hips. Weiss glanced around the shop. “It's a little… musty.”

 

“That's why we brought cleaning supplies.” Blake glanced around. “… Where did Ruby go?”

 

Like summoned, Ruby bounced into the shop, pulling down her hood. “Heyhey guys! There's another tattoo shop across the street! They're _soso_ cool, there's this girl who dyed half her hair pink and a guy with gray spiky hair and a girl with green hair and _sooo_ many piercings and just- do you think dad would let me get an eyebrow piercing?”

 

Yang snorted and shook her head. “Ruby. You're _eighteen_ now. You don't have to get dad's consent to get pierced or tattooed anymore. An eyebrow piercing though? You sure about that?

 

“Yeah, you're right… maybe I'll just get an Auricle piercing so I'd look all magic-y.” Ruby beamed and glanced around their shop. “We're actually doing it guys- we have our own tattoo parlor! This is going to be _great_!”

 

Weiss finally managed the first real smile since they put down the deposit on this place. “You're right. Let's get the buckets and start making this place look like the place we want!”

 

“Yeah!” Yang fist pumped into the air before glancing across the street.

 

_Look out you guys- RWBY is here to stay._


	2. Morning Jog

Yang appreciated this town for one reason especially-

 

their jogging paths were completely on point.

 

Headphones blasting in her ears, the blonde kept a good pace on the trail, rocking out to the sound of _This Will Be The Day_. Nothing like a high beat song to get your blood pumping and your body moving. Ruby usually took a jog with her, but she was practicing her tattooing with Weiss.

 

Next time though- Ruby loved to run. And Yang was always up for a good race. Bummer she couldn't be here though, she hadn't had a chance to race Ruby in _weeks_ -

 

Yang turned the corner and immediately he caught her eye.

 

Maybe an inch or two taller, black t-shirt and grey sweats. Looked like he was taking a quick break, pushing the steel colored bangs out of his eyes and enjoying the beautiful morning.

 

Yang was enjoying the morning all right- just not for the view most people had. With a chuckle, the woman took off on a jog again.

 

When she passed the young man, she reached out and gave him a quick smack on the ass.

 

“Race you to the next bench!”

 

With that, she took off, pulling out an earbud to listen. Would he follow?

 

The snicker and the sound of following footsteps confirmed that. Yang glanced over to meet a pair of gray eyes. Well, a race it was then.

 

Yang took on a steady but definitely speedy rate, the hot guy managed to stay right on her though. It was the final curve where he finally caught up, by her side. He gave a quick wave.

 

“Winner… buy the loser an energy drink?”

 

Yang grinned. “You're on!”

 

That really kicked it off. Yang bolted at that moment, feet leaping off the ground and carrying her far. That didn't seem to deter her opponent though- he matched her step for step.

 

Finally, the bench was in sight. Yang practically had to jump in order to touch it just a second before him. “Whoo!” The blonde ended up flopping onto the bench, chest rising and falling rapidly as she tried to catch her breath. “Didn't think you'd take the bait.”

 

The other just grinned as he sat next to Yang, trying to seem more collected but his hair which he was perfecting earlier was now sticking to his sweating forehead. “What can I say, I have a thing for blondes who smack my ass and then hand it to me in a race. Name's Mercury.” He extended a hand and Yang then took into account the tattoos on his right forearm.

 

It looked like mechanics and gears below the flesh, it was definitely eyegrabbing. Yang shook his hand before yanking his arm closer. “Yang. Nice job. Where'd you get this done?”

 

Mercury quietly 'acked' as Yang pulled him closer. “Friend of my manager's. Probably my favorite. You?” He nodded at the golden Chinese dragons curled around her biceps.

 

Yang puffed up with pride as she released Mercury and showed off her arms. “My dad, actually. Birthday present. Took months to just _convince_ him.”

 

The gray haired man cocked an eyebrow before he laughed. “No, seriously, your dad gave you your tattoos?”

 

“Hell yeah. I was _born_ with ink in my blood.” Yang beamed with pride. She was proud of her family.

 

Mercury looked impressed, truly. “Nice. Really. Your dad have a shop?”

 

“Hell yeah, it's in Patch though. Few hours out.” Ruby was the one who decided to make the leap from home. Who the hell would want to get tattooed by a few random girls when-

 

“Wait wait wait.” Mercury held up a hand. “… The only tattoo artist I know in Patch that does dragons like that is- holy shit, your dad is TaiYang Xiao Long? That's bullshit!”

 

Well, that wasn't an often response. Yang gave him a look before pulling her phone from her pocket and clicking her photo gallery. When the selfie with her and her dad popped up, she pointed the phone at Mercury. “Not bullshit. Real deal. I'm a Xiao Long. Jealous?”

 

Mercury breathed out, shaking his head. “I heard he had a kid or two, didn't think she'd be hot. Or have a tattoo parlor.”

 

Huh. That was interesting. Yang raised an eyebrow. “Didn't think I brought up I was opening my shop yet?”

 

“Oops.” Mercury grinned sheepishly. “Okay, you caught me. I'm an artist at the shop right across the street. _Wicked_ , Cinder Fall owns it.”

 

Cinder Fall. That name rang a few bells. “Yeah, Ruby did her research on your shop, you don't have someone who specializes in what we do though, so it's no big deal.” Yang shrugged. “The place was going for cheap. No hard feelings, right?”

 

Mercury didn't seem bothered at least. “Nah, it's nice to have some amateurs around. Maybe you can handle the idiots who keep coming in the Chinese character 'peace' on their bodies.”

 

Oh god. The worst of the worst. Yang cringed. “Please no. You can keep those. I don't want to be the one telling the creepy Asian fetishist that his last three characters mean 'Rice', 'Beef', and 'Broccoli'.”  
  
“Eh, I don't bother to tell them anymore. It's funnier that way.”

 

Yang nearly choked on laughter. “You dick!” She smacked his shoulder. “My dad would kill me if I actually let someone do that.”

 

Mercury cackled and rubbed where she smacked him. “My dad would buy me a beer.” His phone beeped and he pulled it out. “Well, looks like I gotta go. Oh, need your number first though.”

 

Confident. Yang liked it. She took his phone right out of his pocket and added it into his speed dial. “There ya go. Call me later.”

 

Mercury gave a two finger salute before he bounced up and took off back down the trail. Mmmhmm, that was a view to enjoy. Yang watched him vanish before she got up and started her stretches. She had to help pretty up the shop today, she better head back soon too.

 

~*~

 

“Sooo, about that bet… I'm gonna be a coward and pull out.”

 

Emerald snorted as she wrote down another appointment settled, not paying attention at all. “Bull. You are not pulling out.”

 

“Thaaat's what she said, but that's not the problem.” Mercury took an empty seat and kept his voice low so Neo and Roman could work in peace. “I met Yang, the blonde one. Kinda got her full name.”

 

Still unimpressed. “So?”

 

“Yang Xiao Long. That ring a bell or two?”

 

Emerald nearly snapped the pen and she looked up. “Horseshit. She's probably just saying that to give her more cred.”

 

“ _Starq Tattoos_ has a website. I looked it up. She is his _clone_.” Mercury tossed over his phone, open to the website. Emerald caught it and read it over, finally getting to the most recent announcement.

 

“Qrow and I are pleased to announce that my daughters Yang and Ruby have decided to leave the nest… Opening their own shop in Beacon with friends Blake Belladonna and Weiss Schnee… if you are ever in the area, be sure to stop by… oh _motherfucker_.” Emerald slammed the phone against the countertop, causing Neo to look up in confusion. She lifted her hands up and mouthed 'what'? Emerald just raised a hand and Neo rolled her eyes before going back to the sugar skull she was tattooing on someone's shoulder.

 

Emerald took a deep breath. “Go tell Cinder, she's in the back. Don't think she's with anyone right now.”

 

“Why _me_?”

 

The green haired punk just glowered at him.

 

“… Oh my god, _fine_.”

 

The 'back room' was where the tattoos and piercings that revealed 'not safe for work' spaces were done. It was also Cinder's main workspace, a room with no windows, only a desk with a computer and her chair, portraits of her favorite works all over the walls. You weren't allowed back there if she was doing her work. She would hurt you. Roman went back there once while she was working and he came out with a black eye. That was just Cinder though, if you made her mad, retaliation would follow- painfully.

 

Right now though, it seemed she was just examining tattoo website on her computer. She was looking for inspiration again, to create more inventive and eye-popping tattoos. Mercury cleared his throat.

 

“Yo, boss? I managed to run into one of the girls from the parlor across the street.”

 

Cinder's eyes slid over. “And?”

 

“Blondie is Yang Xiao Long. TaiYang gave his recommendation on the _Starq_ site- she's his daughter.”

 

No response. Cinder just smirked and went back to her browsing. “Oh. That's nice.”

 

That was disturbing. “Excuse me?”

 

Cinder sighed before looking back up. “That changes nothing. It just guarantees… maybe a month or so of extra business. When the hype dies down, they'll fade, and leave. There's no room for them here. They'll get that idea. Soon enough.”

 

Not saying Cinder was a bad person… but she was most definitely evil. “Well, Yang gave me her number, should I toss that?”

 

“No. Keep it.” Cinder went back to her browsing, stopping at a gorgeous tattoo of a bloody heart. “It'll give us an idea as to when we'll see a 'for sale' sign across the street again.”

 

Mercury was reminded of being a kid and playing spy on the people in his dad's bar. To tell when they were drunk enough to be charged extra, or when they were easy targets to 'lose' their wallets. Damn, Yang seemed like a nice girl too. Hot at least. “All right, I got to consult in ten minutes. And I haven't eaten yet.” With a wave, Mercury walked out the door.

 

Cinder waited until the door slammed shut before she pulled up the link from the _Starq_ website.

 

 _RWBY_. _Cute. Very cute. Cute doesn't sell art, though. Not for long._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoo whoo! Second chapter, complete!


	3. Scoping Out The Place

Ugh, why was Emerald so curious about these guys?

 

Because they were competition. And although she had heard about TaiYang's incredible skill with a needle, she didn't know he had kids.

 

Well, Google was her friend.

 

Taking a swig of Monster, Emerald opened her laptop and opened up her internet. “Let's see what you have to say for yourself.” Finding the _Starq_ website was simple enough.

 

The banner was a picture of TaiYang himself, a tribalesque heart tattoo on his arm, and next to him was a man with bloodshot eyes and tribal tattoos on his arms as well. Emerald scrolled down to read the description. Qrow Branwen… didn't a Branwen do the moonlight scene on part of Cinder's back? Even more interesting.

 

Her mouse drew over to TaiYang's bio and she clicked.

 

_Found a passion for art when he met his first wife and her brother… picked up a unique but pleasant style with a lot of adaptability… met Summer Rose…. First daughter was born, Yang Xiao Long… oh._

 

Mommy ran off after throwing the baby at daddy, and probably her brother. Wonder if Raven Branwen was the artist for that tattoo of Cinder's? Emerald put that on the list of 'things not to bring up'. Somehow Raven didn't seem like she was winning any awards for 'Mother of the Year'. Okay, back to reading.

 

_Married Summer Rose, second daughter Ruby was born… huh. That makes them half sisters._

 

That was a tidbit Emerald was _definitely_ filing away.

 

_Business boomed even with Raven's departure… ah fuck. Summer Rose dies in accident._

 

That was just sad. Emerald bit her bottom lip before scrolling to the bottom.

 

_Trained Yang to be the best she could be… aha. Link to the RWBY website below._

 

Now that was good business, setting up a website. Emerald clicked and the page lit up. Pretty neat page, nothing too ridiculous, no Comic Sans anyway. Turns out Ruby had a profile but she wasn't tattooing, yet. Weiss loved Dotwork, that tattoo on her neck was a snowflake. Blake was a watercolors fan, although apparently she was starting to delve into blackwork- made sense, considering that tattoo on her arm. And Yang was daddy's lil girl- Asian inspired.

 

Their portfolios were perfect, probably TaiYang helped structure them. Neat, gorgeous art. And that was the problem.

 

Emerald 'hmph'd' and leaned back. These weren't inexperienced little girls at all. They had real talent. Damn. She was totally going to lose money to the bet.

 

They weren't going to stay forever of course- Cinder would make _sure_ of that. Just depended how long they would last.

 

Drumming her fingers on her bed, Emerald glanced at the phone number at the corner of the page.

 

_Well, might as well scope out the enemy._

 

She picked up her cellphone and dialed.

 

“… Hey, is this _RWBY_? Great! Is this Weiss Schnee then? … Perfect. I know you guys aren't open yet, but I've been _dying_ to get this tattoo done…”

 

~*~

 

“Hey, pass me the yellow. And you sure you're going to do a consultation here? _Today_?”

 

Weiss passed Yang the bucket of yellow while reassuring her. “I told her we could do it at that cafe down the street, but she insisted it would fine here. We have a table, pencils, paper. It'll be fine.”

 

All right. Yang slapped the brush against the wall, leaving another streak of yellow against the tan wall.

 

It was a pretty cute place, Ruby had a great idea- just leave the walls white with various streaks of all their favorite colors on the walls. Red, white, black, and yellow. It looked _awesome_.

 

The door opened, a soft 'chime' of the bell of the door. Yang turned to see Weiss' customer. Mint haired girl with a ton of epic piercings, all in golds and emerald greens. Weiss curtsied before tossing her hair back. “Welcome to RWBY! We'll be ready to open in just a few days, I think I'll book you to be our first customer.”

 

“That sounds great!” The girl flashed a pleasant smile back. “So, where are we doing this?”

 

Weiss gestured to the table in the back, set up with paper and pens along with a tablet, set up on a website for tattoo inspiration. Emerald gave a thumbs up before heading over there with Weiss. Yang kept on painting while listening in every now and then.

 

“So, dotwork huh? Where did you learn that?”

 

“Friend of a friend. I picked up a passion for it right away.”

 

“That's neat...”

 

“… Like your name? So should we make it green?”

 

“Yeah, that could work…”

 

“… and you are aware that a tattoo on your ribs is going to painful? That's how it is for most people.”

 

“It's cool. I already got one below my collarbone. Hurt like a bitch but so worth it.”

 

“Oh really?...”

 

It was a pretty basic consultation, and Emerald was out the door in a decent amount of time. Yang lowered the paint bucket and watched her vanish down the street. “She seemed nice enough. What does she want?”

 

“Dotwork tattoo of a jewel, on her ribs.” Weiss held up a sketch of the idea they had. “I quite approve.”

 

Yang took the sketch to examine it. “Totally thought she'd have more tattoos than the one below her collarbone.”

 

“Maybe she's just been investing in piercings so far.”

 

Neither girl noticed that Emerald had backtracked and entered the shop across the street.

 

~*~

 

“Where's Cinder?”

 

“Hello to you too.” Roman looked up from his sketching paper, working on some sort of marionette design. Probably his next tattoo. “And I don't know, she and Neo went out and didn't tell me shit.”

 

Emerald sat on the desk next to him to examine his work. “So our new neighbors have some cred. Decided getting some work done by them was the best way to see how good they are, and the consultation actually went really well.”

 

Roman glanced up from his paper. “Does Cinder know about this?”

 

“No, but I figure we have to learn about these guys sometime. Met the blonde with the giant boobs and special snowflake today. They'll probably get customers because they're all cute too.”

 

Roman snorted. “So _that's_ why Mercury's wanting to bone her...”

 

“Who? Snowflake? Hey!”

 

The redhead had pinched her side. “The _blonde_. He met her on his jog, he's spent the entire day oggling their website and I'm pretty sure he wasn't looking at the tattoos. Hey- she have a sister?”

 

“Oh, gross, don't even think about it!” Emerald gagged. “She's _eighteen_. You're too old for her.”

 

Now Roman just looked offended. “How old do you think I am?!”

 

“I dunno, thirty? Ow!” Another pinch to the side. “Jesus, you smoke cigars, how old am I supposed to think you are?”

 

With a roll of his eyes, Roman set down the pencil. “I'm _classy_ , thankyou very much. And I don't smoke cigars that much anymore, Mercury shares his stash because he thinks I'll die of lung cancer. Speaking of which- where is he hiding it right now?”

 

Emerald smirked. “He's going to _kill_ us.”

 

“So you _do_ know!”

 

“Close your eyes, I'm not letting _you_ know.”

 

~*~

 

_Sketch, sketch, sketch- clunk!_

 

Mercury nearly jumped out of his shoes when someone sat across from him at the table. He looked up to see a familiar face and a mane of blonde hair. “Heyo, Merc. You busy?”

 

“Not too busy for you.” Mercury grinned before he gestured across the table. Yang sat down and crossed her legs, trying not to look at what Mercury was drawing. The gray haired man just turned around the picture. “Someone wanted me to design a tattoo for them. They'll be in town this weekend.”

 

“Ah.” Yang looked at the gray butterflies flying across the paper. “Gray wash?”

 

“Guilty.” It was Mercury's strongest point. “What do you think?”

  
Yang picked up the paper and bit her bottom lip. Her head tipped to the side. “Lookin' good, you're making it work… think you should remove the top butterfly though, it looks awkward.” She handed back the paper.

 

Huh. She wasn't wrong. “Think if I changed its position it would work better?”

 

“Maybe. Give it a shot.”

 

It was quiet inbetween them as Mercury erased and tried the new butterfly. After it was finished, Mercury pushed it to Yang again. This time, you could see the approval in her eyes. “Way better.”

 

“Thanks for the help. Cinder would probably have a cow if she knew you were trying to play nice though.” Mercury took the picture back and put it in his folder.

 

That wasn't the right thing to say, Yang looked befuddled. “Your boss or something? Pfff, if she can't handle a lil competition...”

 

Mercury snickered. “Yeah, I know, it's stupid. Be scared though, Cinder will come for yooouu!” Mercury mockingly made a grab at Yang. She squealed and jumped away.

 

“Hey! Keep your hands to yourself!”

 

“Why should I?” Mercury smirked and attempted to grab her again. Yang 'eeped' and ran away.

 

Mercury started chasing her around the park, laughing the whole way. He would've stopped sooner except Yang was laughing too. And it was fun to chase that sound.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so fluffy I amaze myself.


	4. A New Friend

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Roman makes a new friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry, I am a trashbucket. Roman just gets shipped with everyone when it comes to me I'm not even kidding. Here you are, friend!

God, it was _pouring_.

 

Roman was pulling a late night, which was amazing for two reasons-

 

1\. The drunks came in and demanded the most hilarious of tattoos, which Roman happily obliged whether he was qualified or not.

 

2\. It meant he could order pizza off of Cinder's credit card. And Mercury had a stash of weed hidden around here _somewhere_.

 

Considering the torrent of rain pounding against the roof though, it was probably going to be a lonely night. Maybe there was the straggler or two trying to find cover, but they weren't likely to dive into here.

 

Funny as hell to watch the people dodging for cover though. Roman snickered as yet another weary traveler ran down the street, umbrella being blown out of their hands. Trying to avoid the puddles.

 

Then there was the girl across the street, who seemed to make it her goal to step in every single puddle. Jump. Sploosh. Jump. Crash! Jump. Sploosh. Least she was having a good time- was she stopping at _RWBY_?

 

She yanked at the door, before going through her pockets. The search turned frantic and then the girl turned around… and bolted right for _Wicked_.

 

She skidded to a stop in front of the door and her red hood popped off-

 

Ruby Rose.

 

Roman's eyes widened in surprise. He'd managed to find the _RWBY_ website after Emerald told him the hot tattoo artist had a little sister. They were as different as night and day though- where Yang was an accomplished artist, curvy and confident, Ruby was an amateur who still had a childish gleam to her silver eyes. Seeing her in person definitely proved the point she was cute though.

 

“Hey! Uh, tattoo shop guy? I'm locked out of my shop slash apartment, and everyone else is out partying, and I was kicked out of the bar because I wasn't twenty one, so can you let me in?”

 

Well then, better order pizza for two then. Roman sighed and gestured her in. Ruby brightened up before popping inside.

 

Her skinny legs were covered in muddy water but she was kind enough to wipe her sneakers on the mat. Her bright eyes were everywhere- the walls, the chairs, the speaker playing some sort of rock station. “Wow- you have a nice joint.”

 

Roman snickered before leaning back. “Eh, it's not so bad, Red.”

 

“It's Ruby. What's your name?” She was by his side and sticking out her hand in a second. Roman gave her a quick handshake before sticking his hands back in his pockets.

 

“Roman Torchwick. Hey, I'm ordering pizza, do you like pepperoni?”

 

Ruby lit up. “Do I! Oh, I'll pitch in a few bucks for it, I think...” The girl dug through her short pockets before pulling out her rose patterned wallet. “Yeah, I can pitch in! … For the tip.” She laughed sheepishly and rubbed the back of her neck.

 

Cute. Roman found a smile crossing his face. “Sounds fair enough, there shoouuld be a towel behind one of the chairs, clean up and I'll order.”

 

A few minutes later, Roman set down the phone and glanced at Ruby. Her hoodie had been shed, she was such a tiny thing. Her black tanktop was covered in roses with silver thorns, but Roman's attention was more on the rose on her right shoulder.

 

It was truly a work of art, the petals a rich red and unfolding. Roman would love to shake the hand of the artist behind it. “Hey, Red?”

 

Her head popped up from cleaning off her legs. “Yeah?”

 

Roman gestured her closer. Ruby walked closer, a bit confused, until Roman turned her to get a better look at her tattoo. “Oh! My uncle did that one, it was my birthday present.”

 

It was definitely the work of Qrow Branwen. That didn't surprise Roman, the colors were so striking. “He did a pretty good job. Most kids don't get good first tattoos.”

 

Ruby laughed before sitting in one of the waiting chairs across from Roman. “Well, he's been doing them since before I was _born_. I want to become like him- I like the bright colors and eye popping tattoos he makes. I'm still learning though. I probably won't put a needle near skin for another _year_.”

 

Well that really fucked Cinder's idea of them being incompetent. Roman nodded before he grinned. “You wanna see my tattoos?”

 

“Ohmygod _yes_!” Ruby jumped up and down in place, silver eyes going wide.

 

Roman smirked before he pulled off his jacket and exposed his right arm. “This Jack o' lantern here? First tattoo I ever got. It was shit, but I managed to get it inked over by someone who knew what they were doing.” He pointed at his lower arm, where the grinning pumpkin stared with blacked out eyes. Ruby's fingers curiously ran along it, gently but with precision. Roman guided her hand onto the flames consuming his upper arm, shapes like horses and skulls in the flames. “Coworker did that one for me, when we met. Took six months to get it all done.”

 

He adjusted his body to show off the grim reaper on his inner left forearm, 'life's only guarantee' written below. “Got this, after a car accident.” He snorted. “I had to walk with a cane for a year. Not saying I didn't make it look good. But it was a pretty shitty year. These things came out safe though.” He lifted up his hands and wiggled his fingers. “That's all that matters to me.”

 

Ruby was perfectly entranced the whole time, her fingers tracing each gorgeous design. “That's. So. Cool.” She finally spoke up. “Anything else?”

 

“Nothing I can show you without taking my clothes off.”

 

Watching Ruby turn as red as her tattoo and jump away was so satisfying. Roman cackles and raises his hands. “Chill, Red, chill. How about you? Anything other than the rose?”

 

“Currently? Uh, no.” Ruby sat back down and the color from her face slowly faded as she chattered on. “I have a few plans though? I want to get a tattoo to match Yang's, we're considering half of a heart on the back of our hands. Oh! I also want dad to do one for me like he did Yang, he did her dragons, I'll probably go with like… Koi, maybe on my back. I dunno though, there are sooo many choices, I get overwhelmed just _thinking_ about it!” Ruby threw up her hands and laughed. “But I'm not in a rush. I'll know what tattoo is right for me when I see it.”

 

Roman's fingers almost felt itchy- he wanted to tattoo Ruby. Maybe an animal? Or something playing off her name, something deep and red. Another floral tattoo? Okay, he probably should ask if she would want him touching her skin anytime soon… he was about to ask when there was several raps at the door.

 

Pizza.

 

“Conversation on hold while we destroy the pizza?”

 

“Deal.”

 

~*~

 

“Dad once had to tell someone their Chinese character tattoo meant Rice. They were really ticked. Dad helped them cover it up, but just goes to show you should probably google what you're writing on your body if you don't understand it.”

 

Roman snickered as he took another bite of his pizza. “I've seen that a lot. A. Lot. I think I know how to write down an order if I ever go to China at least.”

 

Ruby laughed, a sound Roman found very pleasant. “Good point-”

 

_Bangbangbang!_

 

“Ruby!”

 

Ah. Big sis Yang was outside. Ruby jumped up. “Oh, gotta go! Looks like sis is here to let me in, next time I won't forget my key at least… but could I come over again? Talk more tattoos and stuff?”

 

Well… why not? “When it's not busy, come on by. I'll order more pizza.”

 

“Yippee!”

 

And with a flash of red, Ruby was out the door with her big sister.

 

Roman chuckled as he watched the girls hurry back home.

 

Cute. Quite cute.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Are you all still here? Yes? Goooood. Reminder Ruby is 18 in this universe SO NOTHING CREEPY IS GOING ON. I SWEAR. I hope you all enjoyed that chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it, and remember you can commission me guys, I don't bite, and I don't judge what you like. People who come faster get discounts. Bye for now!


	5. Dancing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mercury meets three out of the four girls at the club, and he has a little secret.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, you all were probably wondering what happened with Yang and the rest while Ruby was eating pizza with Roman, right?

Emerald slammed down her shot glass with a loud breath. “Whoo! Another shot!”

Neo gestured over the bartender who debated cutting them both off, but just pouring the girls another line of shots. Emerald grinned wildly, her eyes bright with excitement of the club. “Man, Neo, are you even drunk yet?”

The tiniest girl shrugged before downing a shot with a sharp breath and a face.

Meanwhile, someone had to stay sober. And this time, that was Mercury.

And really, that wasn’t as bad as you would think it was. He wasn’t a heavy drinker, he wasn’t really a ‘happy’ drunk. He was an ‘I’m going to sob my life story into my beer’ drunk. Yeah. Not fun like Emerald and Neo.

Emerald squirmed and took off her jacket, fanning her flushed face. “It’s so _hot_ in here. Hey, I wanna go dance, Neo, be my wingwoman?”

Neo gave a double thumbs up and glanced over at Mercury, who just laughed and shook his head. “No way, I’d outdance all of you and then neither of you would get laid.” Emerald gave him the worst glare before she and Neo vanished into the crowd. Occasionally he’d spot a familiar head of green or pink hair, but it was a crowd down there.

“Oh come on! It’s not like she’s even _drinking_!”

“Yang, it’s okay, I’ll just-”

“No way! Come on, we’re just trying to celebrate our first week in business!”

What was that going on over there? Mercury glanced over at a small crowd of girls by the bar. The impressively large manager had crossed his arms and looked stormily down at them all. “Sorry kids, but she has to go home. Too many kids ordering drinks for their underage friends.”

Mercury managed to push closer to see the familiar golden haired girl trying to intimidate the manager. “Ruby isn’t like that!”

“Yang, it’s okay,” Ruby set her hand on Yang’s shoulder. “I’m kinda tired already. I’ll meet you all back at the apartment?”

The white haired girl huffed. “You shouldn’t have to go at all.”

“I should go back with her. It’s late, and I think it’s going to rain tonight.” The black haired girl glanced at the exit.

Ruby held up her hands. “I’ll take a cab! I’m not ruining your fun. I’ll see you tonight, right?”

Yang glowered at the manager one last time before giving her sister a hug. “Stay safe.”

“It’s cool. I can kick ass.”

The blonde laughed and ruffled Ruby’s hair. “I know you can. See you around midnight.”

The skinny redhead pulled her jacket closer before running to the exit in the club. The manager finally relaxed and walked away.

Huh. Bummer that lil sis couldn’t hang out, but if Yang was here…

Mercury made his way past the people and managed to sneak behind Yang before putting his hands over her eyes.

“Boo.”

Yang reacted as expected- with a sharp elbow to the ribs.

Mercury nearly lost his balance, shaking a bit before standing up straight. Whoa, close one. Yang turned around and shock spread across her face. “Merc?”

With a grin, Mercury spread his arms. “Looks like it. Hey Yang.”

A grin spread across Yang’s face and she jumped for joy before wrapping Mercury in a hug. “Nice to see you! What are _you_ doing here tonight?”

“Just out with a few friends. They’re dancing right now. We should be doing the same.” Mercury leaned against the bar while the other two girls exchanged looks of surprise.

Yang smirked and leaned over, her purple eyes reflecting the flashing lights from the dance floor and giving her a mischief look. “Hmmm, think a drink would convince me. Strawberry Sunrise.”

Mercury cackled and waved over the bartender. “Hey, these girls? Drink on me tonight.” The bartender gave a thumbs up.

The white haired girl seemed the most surprised. “ _I_ was planning on covering the bill tonight,” she said, rather sternly.

“Weiss. It’s free drinks.” The dark haired girl took a long drink from her dark purple glass and lowered it. “I think we can accept that. I’m Blake, by the way.” She gave a nod in Mercury’s direction, appreciative of his offer.

Thankfully Mercury had done enough work lately to cover how much three twenty one year old women could drink. Unless they drank like Neo. Then he might not make rent this month.

Yang drank the strawberry sunrise a wee bit too fast before turning back to Mercury. “So, about that dance?”

Five minutes later, Yang and Mercury were on the dance floor.

Mercury caught a quick glimpse of Neo before she vanished back among the people, but not before she gave a wink and a thumbs up in Mercury’s direction. What a good friend.

Yang could dance too. Her hips had this tantalizing sway to them, she danced close enough to tease but far enough to keep him wanting, and her eyes never left his- she wasn’t a shy dancer, she was all confidence and fluidity.

Another song went by and they got closer. And closer. Yang’s hips were now pressed against his, her movements growing bolder and more sexual.

Mercury prided himself on being a good dancer, even after his accident. But she had something he didn’t- endurance.

She leaned up to kiss him, Mercury stepped back, and felt his knee pop. Shit. Shit. _Shit_.

“I gotta- bathroom!” He spoke without thinking and broke away from the blonde. Ignoring her asking what the hell was the matter, Mercury bolted for the bathroom.

Other than the couple moaning in the handicapped stall, Mercury was alone. Good. He pulled up his pant leg to reveal chrome and metal.

Prosthetics had made so many leaps and bounds over the past years. No one knew about Mercury’s legs, other than his coworkers. Emerald had found out after Mercury’s pant leg got stuck on a chair and tore. Neo guessed after he banged his shin and although he nearly fell on his face, showed no sign of being in pain. Cinder always knew, it was brought up during his interview.

Roman was there when he _lost_ them.

Sitting on the bathroom sink counter, trying not to think of the disgusting things that have most certainly happened on them, Mercury adjusted his prosthetic, tightening the grip and popping it back into place. There. He breathed a sigh of relief before letting his pant leg fell down by his ankle.

That was a close one. Most people acted differently once they knew… and even though he told himself, again, and again, that Yang wasn’t going to be around long, she didn’t need to know. She didn’t. Need to know.

~*~

“Where’d your new boyfriend go?”

Yang gave Blake a dirty look before sipping another Strawberry Sunrise. “Bathroom, apparently. It was getting good and then he suddenly just, took off.” She smirked. “Think things got a little _too_ heated, a little _too_ fast.”

Weiss snorted and shook her head. “I’m surprised he wants to be around us. We’re the competition.”

“Nah. It won’t impact either of us. After a good six months, everyone can bounce between us. We all have different specialties, after all,” Yang said.

Blake pursed her lips. “If you think so.”

“Did I miss anything, ladies?”

Mercury was back. He grinned as he sat next to Yang. “Sorry for running off like that. My phone was going off, it was my _boss_.”

“Say no more.” He was lying. All right, Yang could play that game. She’d break him later. Yang glanced at the other two girls. “You two drink him broke yet?”

Blake and Weiss just grinned while Mercury turned a little pale. “Hey now, I still have to buy food this week!”

~*~

Mercury was whistling a fine tune as he walked back to his apartment building. He could’ve walked with the _RWBY_ girls, but he didn’t want to interrupt their celebrations. At least the rain had come to mostly a stop. Just a light sprinkle.

“Hello, Mercury.”

Ah. Cinder. The woman had clearly been at a fancier affair, judging by her hair and makeup. “I thought you and the girls were out dancing tonight.”

“They hopped a cab without me. Rude, I know.” Mercury shoved his hands in his pockets and continued walking. His route took him by _Wicked_ , Cinder was likely spinning by to make sure Roman was either still there or had properly locked up. Even if the local thugs didn’t like messing with the best artist in the area, there was always a risk someone could break in.

Cinder nodded, twirling her umbrella in her hand. “I see. Glad you had a good time…” She trailed off as they turned the corner. “… Did you happen to see Miss Xiao Long?”

“For a bit, why?”

His boss pointed up ahead.

Yang was at the door to _Wicked_ , motioning for someone to come out. Mercury’s eyes nearly popped out of his head as a familiar girl popped out, looking quite content. So that’s where Ruby had been tonight.

The duo ran across the street, both of them clearly talking about how their nights had gone. Mercury glanced at Cinder, who seemed incredibly amused.

“Well. This is an… interesting turn of events. You better hurry home, Mercury. You have a consultation tomorrow. Don’t want you to be falling asleep.” Cinder walked on ahead.

Mercury had a sudden bad feeling in his stomach.

Cinder was competitive, but she wouldn’t lash out too badly… right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whooo! This update was a bit later than normal, but that's how the commissions go I suppose. Glad you're all enjoying it so far though, and if you really enjoyed it, I have a button on my tumblr (imburiedincats-sendhelp) that says 'Buy Me A Coffee'. Think of it as a tip jar, and it'll definitely encourage chapters to come out faster! Remember to leave a comment and I'll see you all next time!


	6. Fake Tattoos

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here you go, friend!

“So, how was business last night?”

 

Roman glanced up at Cinder, who had set herself comfortably on the front desk, seemingly just examining her nails. Roman knew that look. That was the look of ‘you’re hiding something from me, come clean _now_.’ Roman kicked back and shrugged.

 

“Eh, average. One or two drunks, one guy who couldn’t pay, scheduled a few consultations for you and myself. Why?”

 

Cinder’s eyes narrowed. “Roman…”

 

That was the warning voice. Roman ‘humphed’ quietly before he caved. “Got a visitor. The girl with the red hood, she was locked out of her apartment. Chill, would you?” Roman crossed his arms and stared back at her. It was several seconds of a challenge.

 

In the end, Cinder smirked and stood. “Don’t get attached, remember,” She said, patting Roman’s shoulder before she sauntered away. Roman quietly growled under his breath and sat up, starting to work on a sketch that was definitely _not_ a wreath of white and red roses. Nope.

 

Mercury walked in with a sketchpad under his arm. “Morning, Roman Candle, anything new- whooaaa. What’s with the grumpy face?”

 

“I’m not grumpy.” Lies. Roman sat back and popped his feet on the desk. “You have fun last night?”

 

“You could say that.” Mercury set down his sketchpad and flipped it open. Roman’s eyes landed on a picture that was… definitely familiar.

 

“That Yang?”

 

Mercury smirked and angled it so Roman could get a better look. “Yup. Hey, think you can help me with a prank?”

 

“Does it involve awkward declarations of love?”

 

“Absolutely.”

 

“I’m in. If I get to record it.”

 

~*~

 

“Hey Yang.”

 

It had been three days since the whole dance thing. Yang didn’t look away from her laptop, she was busy figuring out a space for a few consultations over the next couple week. She didn’t expect so much _attention_ already. Oh well, no time to complain. “Yeah, Merc?”

 

“Decided to get something to celebrate our time together.”

 

“Yeah?”

 

Yang typed in a date and looked up.

 

Mercury had pulled up his sleeve, revealing a gray wash tattoo on his shoulder… was that a portrait of _her_?! Her name was carefully inscribed beneath it, in a loopy handwriting. Yang went white, then red… then she bust out laughing.

 

“Holy shit, you almost had me there! You _dick_!” She gave him a playful shove, nearly sending him toppling over.

 

Sniggering, Mercury caught his balance. “The look on your face! Roman, did you get in on camera?!”

 

The orange haired man popped out from behind a bush and lifted up his phone. “Already sent it to _Starq’s_ website, too!

 

Yang gasped. “You did _not_!”

 

“Sure did, Blondie.” Roman had the most evil smirk on his face.

 

This was the last time she was doing her business at the park. Yang punched Mercury across the shoulder. “Looks convincing. You do it?” She asked Roman.  


Double thumbs up. “Not my style, usually, but Merc couldn’t do his own shoulder. It’ll come off in like a week. Our boss is going to kill him though.”

 

“It will be all worth it, just because of that look on your face.” Mercury rolled back down his sleeve. “But seriously, do you wanna go get something to eat?”

 

Judging by the look on Roman’s face, this was _not_ part of the plan he was alerted to. Yang blinked a few times in surprise before she grinned. “Sure. Only if you wear a sleeveless shirt though. So _everyone_ sees that tattoo.”

 

“Babe. You read my mind.”

 

~*~

 

Emerald shook her head.

 

“Cinder’s going to _murder_ him. And no, Neo. You cannot have his appointments.”

 

Neo pouted before going back to doing her nails.

 

Roman shrugged. “You know Mercury. He’ll take her on three dates, add a notch to his bedpost, and then flake. Same pattern. Every time.”

 

Neo clapped her hands to get attention before signing, _‘Least this one won’t go nuts when she’s dumped.’_

 

Emerald made a face. “Ugh. The one chick who smashed our windows. Don’t remind me. Cinder took it out of all paychecks.”

 

Neo stuck out her tongue in disgust.

 

The phone went off and Roman went to pick it up. “Hello, _Wicked…_ oh. _Hey_ , Adam.” Roman crossed his eyes and stuck out his tongue. Both girls grimaced.

 

They had a few ‘Adams’ but only one Adam brought out that reaction. Adam Taurus. Honestly the largest prick in the universe. Cinder loved him for business he brought in, but that was the _only_ reason to tolerate him. He was honestly a sociopath. Last time he came in he was drunk (apparently he was dumped), and had lost his temper with Neo. Poor girl got socked in the face.

 

Granted, this ended with Adam in a headlock as Neo choked him out, but Cinder suspended him and his thug buddies from the parlor for months. Only recently had their ban lifted.

 

Roman wrote down a few things. “Yup, I can do that… yeah. Uh huh. Sounds good… oh, and one more thing- if you show up drunk, I will not let you, or your _friends_ in. Oh, shut _up_. I can pick my customers, buddy, and you’re already on thin ice. Fine. See you then.” That phone hung up a little harsher than it needed. He took a deep breath.

 

“Not even four and I need a fucking drink.” Roman pinched the brow of his nose. “Gonna go for a walk, tell me if I get any appointments.”

 

Neo waited until he was out of sight before signing, _‘We should_ _totally_ _just stab Adam.’_

 

Emerald lightly tapped the back of Neo’s head. “Quit it, you. Cinder doesn’t like to kill the paying customers.”

 

~*~

 

If Roman had it his way, he would’ve had Adam banned for life. Let him go somewhere else. But Cinder liked consistent customers. It would take a lot for her to ban him for life.

 

He was going to have a milkshake. And just pretend it’s spiked with enough liquor to help him forget.

 

“Roman?”

 

That voice was familiar. Roman turned to see a girl with a paper cup in hand, sipping a strawberry milkshake.

 

Suddenly his day was getting better. He felt a smile light his face. “Hey Red.”

 

“… You want some of my milkshake?”

 

And this is how they were sitting outside the ice cream place, sharing Ruby’s milkshake. Roman bitched to her about the returning customers, and Ruby listened.

 

“Cinder doesn’t sound very nice.” She noted, offering the milkshake back to Roman.

 

Roman took a sip, trying not to think about the fact Ruby’s lips were on the straw moments ago. “Eh, she’s proud of her business. And hey, they could head over to your business if they can’t get what they want here. And that would be even worse.”

 

“I’d just let Yang punch them out.” Ruby mock punched the air. “Just, pow! She’s got a nice hook.”

 

She was too cute. Roman chuckled and handed the milkshake back. “What about you? They’d probably gobble up lil Red Riding Hood.”

 

Ruby stuck out her tongue. “I’d kick them in the balls.” She growled, any intimidation as she slurped her milkshake.

 

The laughter just bubbled out. Roman couldn’t help it. Any of his bad mood faded away around Ruby.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Updates are still pretty spaced out, but I do love this fanfic. My first commission. I love you so much ; - ;
> 
> I now have an update schedule, you can find it [ here ](http://imburiedincats-sendhelp.tumblr.com/post/149934536512/official-schedule-for-writing-updates)! Prompt Me Saturday will alas not happen THIS week due to being busy, but all other updates will go off as planned! Love you all! Remember to comment!


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